"Literally hours before these very pages were printed Nintendo officially revealed the final name for its next generation console. Previously codenamed Revolution the new system will now go by the name of Nintendo Wii.

The official naming is just the beginning of Nintendo’s next-gen master plan. By the time you read this, the most significant videogaming event in years will have begun. The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) got underway at the Los Angeles Convention Center on 10 May, and this is where Nintendo officially unveiled its plans for the current and next generation of hardware and games."

Is Wii pronounced like "we"?
Worst name for a console ever.
I though it said WWII at first, and I just figured it was going to be some kind of device for the Japanese to get back at the US for Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
WWII would have been better than Wii.

I like it, short, simple, and catchy. One thing's for sure, no one will forget it. It's like one of those names that even people who know nothing about video games or even cares will know exactly what you're talking about. I always thought "revolution" was a little to cliche and not too creative.

There hasn't been a character in Japanese that represents the sound "wi" for about a hundred years. Now, they use "ui" to approximate the sound. Actually, I think it went out of style during the Meiji Restoration in the mid-late nineteenth century. Before that, it wasn't really used much, outside of early and pre- Edo Period literature. So, for the Japanese, "wii" is probably a strange and retro sound/name.
But that's just a guess.

"We will see a manufacturing battle between Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo for the next 12 months or so, with Microsoft pressing its advantage of being first to deliver a next-generation console," said Yankee Group analyst Michael Goodman. "Every unit they sell until the launch of the PS3 and Wii extends the gap that Sony and Nintendo have to close."

Gamers still mulling their options following the unveiling of cool new consoles from Nintendo and Sony at the recent E3 2006 conference might want to take a closer look at the Wii, given that Nintendo has formally priced the machine well below the competing boxes.

The price, $250, is half the cost of Sony's $499 PlayStation 3 console and considerably less than Microsoft's top-end Xbox 360 that sells for about $400.

Nintendo has set its sights on shipping six million Wii systems worldwide between its launch later this year and the end of March 2007. The company also said it expects to sell 17 million Wii games during that period.

The lower price tag could help the company gain some ground on Microsoft, which effectively is a year ahead of both Nintendo and Sony in introducing the Xbox 360 late last year.

Dueling Consoles

While Sony is touting the superfast Cell processor and Blu-ray video technology in the PlayStation 3, there has been debate about whether gaming enthusiasts would shell out $499 for the basic PlayStation 3 unit. "Price point is absolutely an issue for Sony," said Yankee Group analyst Michael Goodman.

Nintendo, meanwhile, is taking a different approach by downplaying eye-popping graphics in favor of the dynamic interaction offered by the Wii's innovative motion-sensing controller. That selling point was somewhat blunted, though, by a similar controller unveiled by Sony for the PlayStation 3.

"The Wii's graphics are certainly improved over the Game Cube," said Jon Erensen of Gartner, in a recent interview, "but they're talking more about how games feel." With emphasis on its new controller, he said, Nintendo is looking to draw buyers who have never played video games before.

Meanwhile, Microsoft is ramping up production of the Xbox 360, with plans to deliver two to three times the number of machines currently shipping to retail outlets each week.

Microsoft's Edge

"We will see a manufacturing battle between Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo for the next 12 months or so, with Microsoft pressing its advantage of being first to deliver a next-generation console," said Goodman. "Every unit they sell until the launch of the PS3 and Wii extends the gap that Sony and Nintendo have to close."

According to a recently released report from the NPD Group, retail sales of game consoles, software, and accessories climbed to a record $10.5 billion in 2005, an increase of 6 percent over the $9.9 billion sold in 2004. The record-setting year exceeded the previous record of $10.3 billion set in 2002.

"The full impact of next-generation consoles on the consumer market won't unfold until Sony's and Nintendo's video-game consoles hit U.S. retail shelves," said NPD analyst Anita Frazier.

November 19th. $250. That's what North American gamers have been waiting to hear. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer is running a New York Times story dated September 14th. There will be over more than 25 titles available for the Wii this year, and Nintendo plans to ship 4 million of the consoles worldwide. President Reggie Fils-Aime said in a phone interview:

"Our goal is to bring gaming back to the masses. You see that in our pricing, you see that in the number of units we plan to make available this year and you see that in how we are positioning the Wii to appeal to every member of the household, including but not limited to the hard-core gamer. We are including all of these capabilities as part of our overall strategy to expand the gaming market. Broadening the market is important because it will breathe new life into this business. Otherwise, this industry is moving down a path of being more and more limited to the hard-core gamer."

Moreover, Nintendo intends to announce that every Wii will be bundled with Wii Sports, a game compilation that includes golf, bowling, baseball and tennis. While the new version of the Mario franchise won't appear until 2007, Twilight Princess will. Games are priced at $50 a piece, $10 less than the standard Xbox 360 title. Over 30 classic titles will be available on the Virtual console, including Zelda, Super Mario Bros. and Donkey Kong. Be sure to check back tomorrow for Crecente's live coverage of the New York City press conference.

So far the VC prices have been confirmed; 500 yens for NES, 800 for SNES, and 1000 for N64 games. (Roughly $4, $7, $8.50 USD) As well there is apparently to be 60-odd VC games available by the end of the year, half of which are Turbo-Grafx/Genesis games, half Nintendo classics.

There will apparently be a Wii 'points card' as well as a credit card option. And 10 new releases on the Virtual Console each month.

From Gamespot:
The article also claims the Wii will have Web-surfing capabilities akin to that of a home computer. "Perhaps most intriguing, the Wii will make it possible to browse the Web on the television," said the report. "Microsoft's Xbox 360 does not permit this because that could negate the need to buy a Windows PC." Attempts to clarify the Wii's exact Internet capabilities with Nintendo reps had been unsuccessful as of press time, most likely because of the late hour.
Nintendo also appears to be moving away from its GameCube-era "game consoles should be for games only" mantra. Besides the Wii's previously announced DVD playback abilities, the console will also have many multimedia functions. "There will be a photo channel that will allow users to use the Wii to display digital photographs on television," read the report. "There also will be an easy-to-use interactive news channel and weather channel."
"We are including all of these capabilities as part of our overall strategy to expand the gaming market," Fils-Aime told the Times. "Broadening the market is important because it will breathe new life into this business. Otherwise, this industry is moving down a path of being more and more limited to the hardcore gamer."

The Japanese press conference is going on now. There are mixed reports about what will be included with the box. According to the leaked news stories Wii Sports will come bundled, but according to the Japanese press conference it won't. Keep in mind that the news conference going on now is for Japan, nothing should be considered final until the Nintendo of America conference tomorrow afternoon.